President Karol Nawrocki has signed an amendment to the Act on Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements. The new regulations will allow tour operators to offer customers vouchers instead of cash refunds for canceled trips while maintaining legal protection for the funds already paid by travelers.
Vouchers Instead of Refunds
The amendment allows tour operators to offer customers a voucher that can be used toward a future package holiday. The voucher will remain valid for two years from the date it is accepted. The measure was introduced in response to disruptions in the tourism market caused by the armed conflict in Iran, which affected travel to countries across the Middle East.
Under the new law, the value of the voucher cannot be lower than the amount originally paid by the customer for the canceled trip. Accepting a voucher does not terminate the contract with the tour operator, meaning that the customer’s funds will continue to be protected in the event of the tour operator’s insolvency.
President Nawrocki also commented on the legislation in a special video message.
“This is a sensible, technical solution that has received support across political divisions. A responsible state must be able to respond to crises in a way that protects both consumers and Polish businesses,” the president said, according to the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.